Purple Bamboo Park is a wonderful
place to be in the early morning. Random groups of people are practising
their qigong, tai chi, line dancing, or sword playing. Others sell food,
bread or cakes, or simply walk the paths enjoying the beginning of a new
day.

I was at the park gate before six
o'clock one morning eager to go for a run through the park before having
breakfast at the hotel with the other members of our qigong group. We
had been doing meditation sitting and non-polarity stance for several
days at the hospital. I was abnormally sensitive to the presence of Qi.

During my run two examples of the
presence of Qi manifested themselves to me. First, I jogged along the
sidewalk through a large group of elderly people who were part of a
large daily class. They were all lifting their hands to heaven and
moving their wrists as I passed between them. I had the happiest feeling
of lightness, like floating down a corridor, as I passed them.

I continued to wind my way toward
the gate of the park along a narrow stone path. There was an old man on
the path practicing a qigong form. I wanted to pass behind him so I
wouldn't disturb him, but there wasn't enough room between his back and
the bamboo growing to the edge of the path. I had to run in front of him
to get past. Just as I was passing him he executed a push forward with
both hands, palms facing outward, and pushed with his breath. It felt
very hot, and knocked me off my stride. I felt like I had been hit with
the qi he was pushing.